The big guy admits that he felt he needed the steroids to be successful when he was in his twenties.

Ryback spoke very candidly on a recent episode of his ‘Conversation With The Big Guy’ podcast, about how he got introduced to steroids at an early age. It all started off when the former WWE Superstar, met bodybuilder and 4-time Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler, as a 19-year old.

Cutler was a regular at Gold’s Gym in Nevada, and Ryback worked there part-time while pursuing his studies. He used to complement ‘The Big Guy’ on his genetics and tell him that he should opt for a career in bodybuilding. Here’s what The Big Guy said on the issue:

“He used to come into Gold's Gym, when I worked at the front desk and I was 19 years old. And at that point, I never touched anything. I was just a 235, 240-pound kid. Just full-time in school, working part-time. And he used to tell me, 'you should be a bodybuilder. Like, you have good genetics.' And I would tell him I want to be a pro wrestler.”

The one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, claims that Jay Cutler, was the one who gave him the idea of using steroids and by the time he was in his early 20s, he was of the opinion that he needed them, to be successful.

“He was actually the one to kind of put it in my head, 'maybe I should do steroids because I have good genetics. But in my early 20s, I thought that I had to do that to be successful if that makes sense,” admitted the 34-year old wrestler.

Further, Ryback also spoke about his usage of the depressant named GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate), which is commonly referred to, as a ‘club drug’ and tends to enhance human growth hormones. During his days at Deep South Wrestling, he began consuming the drug, and it soon became an addiction.

“A good portion of the guys had their water bottles full of this stuff. And it wasn't the environment of today, but we would train five days a week and just kill ourselves and go through all of that. It became a very regular part of my life, where, for me, it was kind of the first thing I really, truly got addicted to down there.”

“And the training was hard, and whatnot and I could sit there and say, oh, I can make up any excuse I want [and blame it on] that I did it because of that, but I got addicted to it. I would do it after practice and everyone, and this was, again, across the board, a lot of people [would do that] and I would take a nap after practice, get up, eat and take another cap because if you do just a little, it would give you energy,” Ryback added.

Speaking about the side effects of using GHB on a regular basis, ‘The Big Guy’ revealed how he used to sleepwalk and often wake up in the morning, to find the shower curtain ripped off and the bathroom in a state of mess.

“The GHB would make me sleepwalk where I would take it at night, like, you're in such a deep sleep, but I would have to piss or something. And having sleep apnea, it's such a dangerous combination at the time, but I would wake up in my sleep and go to the bathroom. I remember some mornings, my shower curtain would be ripped off the wall, and the bathroom would be a mess,” said Ryback about his troubles.

For latest WWE News, live coverage and rumours visit our Sportskeeda WWE section. Also if you are attending a WWE Live event or have a news tip for us drop us an email at fightclub (at) sportskeeda (dot) com.